Iran nuclear program set back 2 years after US strikes: Pentagon

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Pentagon says Iranian nuclear program delayed 2 years after US airstrikes

Former Assistant Secretary of State Robert Charles joins ‘Fox & Friends First’ to discuss his take on the new details regarding the damage to Iranian nuclear sites following American airstrikes. 

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The “bunker busting” bombs dropped on Iranian nuclear sites last month by U.S. forces have degraded Tehran’s atomic program by up to two years, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.

“We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department [of Defense] assess that,” Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters. 

“We believe that Iran’s nuclear capability has been severely degraded, perhaps even their ambition to build a bomb,” he added, though security experts have told Fox News Digital that Tehran is unlikely to be deterred in its ambition to build a nuclear weapon.

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Spokesman Sean Parnell speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon on March 17, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The announcement reflects a far more positive assessment regarding the success of the June 22 strikes that targeted the Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites than previous estimates regarding the extent to which Tehran’s atomic capabilities had been degraded. 

Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), over the weekend warned that Iran may be able to resume enriching uranium within a matter of months. 

The comments also coincided with reports that Iran may have been able to move some of its stockpiles of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, or possibly centrifuges, after satellite images showed more than a dozen cargo trucks were spotted at the Fordow nuclear site prior to the U.S. strikes. 

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This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows damage at the Fordow enrichment facility in Iran after U.S. strikes, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

The U.S. has fervently denied that any intelligence suggests Iran was successful in moving its nuclear capabilities off site. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth became angry when asked about the possibility by reporters.

Fox News Digital has confirmed that Israel is continuing to monitor the security situation. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi this week acknowledged that there was severe damage to the Fordow facility, though he also insisted that “the technology and knowhow is still there.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a joint press conference with Russia’s foreign minister in Moscow on April 18, 2025. (Getty Images)

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“No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,” Aragchi said during a CBS interview this week.

Though according to Parnell on Wednesday, “All of the intelligence that we’ve seen (has) led us to believe that Iran’s – those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated.”

Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.